COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING GUIDELINE - SPGS

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LAWLOG PRODUCTION GRANT SCHEME Larger scale planters might want to use Glyphosate herbicide to spray the weeds before planting (N.B. if using chemicals, the staff must be properly trained and have safety equipment – see SPGS Plantation Guideline No. 16 for further details). In September when the soil is wet enough and the weeds are under control, the tree seedlings can be planted. Thereafter, the newly planted trees should be weeded when necessary and also protected from fires and from grazing animals. Remember that for proper tree planting business, people need to have the right skills for the right job, so make sure you have your core workers trained in plantation skills before embarking on major plantation activities. If this is not possible at your plantation, then hire a skilled labour from a neighbouring plantation for the beginning. Where land is limited like among the rural community, the following areas below can be utilised for tree planting: • Along the boundary with your neighbour. • Along the edges of your compound. • Along the sides of the main public road passing through your land or road leading to your home. 3.1.3 Where should I not plant trees? A farmer should be aware that it is wrong to plant timber trees on the following areas: 3.0 LAND PREPARATION FOR SUCCESSFUL TREE PLANTING Once you are through with the work of planning, then you should now put your plans to work. This you do by undertaking site survey, species site matching (tree species selection), determining the right spacing, followed by land preparation and seedling planting as explained below:- 3.1 Site Survey In site survey, you are interested in: 1) identifying the site where to plant the trees (and ensuring that the boundaries are clearly defined); 2) establishing the shape (lay out) of your plantation, dividing the area into smaller units (compartments) if necessary as you decide where the service roads or fire breaks will pass 3) measuring the total area (in hectares) available for tree planting and 4) identifying areas to be protected such as wetlands and natural forests. 3.1.2 Where can I plant my trees? All tree growers are advised never to clear an intact natural forest in order to plant trees. This is because the environmental and biodiversity values of a natural forest can not be replaced by tree plantations which are normally of just one species! Trees should only be planted in degraded forests or on other areas with few trees on. Remember trees like other food crops would prefer a fairly fertile land for best growth although most farmers often look for the poorest part of their land (including swampy areas) for tree planting. There is no timber tree that can grow on water even eucalyptus! These young pines have already started dying off. • On swamps or on areas that flood whenever it rains • Sites with intact natural forest cover should be conserved. • Any cultural site. • Land with unclear ownership. 3.1.4 How do I lay out my plantation? Establishing the shape of your plantation requires you to walk through, and around the area where trees are to be planted. The objective is to enable you note the special features like swamps, rivers, hills, public roads, and many more that may be located within or neighbouring your area. Generally a plantation layout can be established as follows:- i. Mark the boundaries of your plantation, with corners clearly seen. Existing big trees or tough growing plants like sisal and Dracaena fragrans (Oluwanyi) can be used to mark corners. Community Tree Planting Guideline
LAWLOG PRODUCTION GRANT SCHEME ii. iii. iv. Establish a firebreak (5-15m) along the boundary to surround your plantation. If your plantation is surrounded by food gardens, make sure that after they are harvested, the drying vegetation is removed and placed at least 5m away. Where a clear public road, any permanent water body or a natural forest borders your plantation, these should form the firebreak. Decide on the spacing of your trees - which among others depends on tree species and expected final product For large scale plantations, much more can be done on the lay out. For example, the plantation area is divided into sub units or compartments (normally 25-30ha), which are separated by at least 8-15m wide spaces. The road network both internal and external is included which could be 5-8m wide. 3.1.5 How can I determine the area of my plantation? You should know the size of your plantation so that you can estimate the number of seedlings needed for planting among others. Depending on whether your area is big or small the methods described below can serve as a guide. i. For small community woodlots that are normally 1-2 acres, the area can be estimated by counting walking steps along two main directions. The number of steps taken along one corner of the plot is taken as length and the other as width. A walking step is approximated to be one metre. ii. iii. iv. If the area is approximately in the form of a square or rectangle, a long measuring tape can be used to measure the two sides of the area. One side is taken as length and other as width. Multiplying the two sides gives an approximate size of the area in square meters (m 2 ). This can then be converzted into hectares by dividing by 10,000m 2 . Using Global Positioning System (GPS) which automatically computes the area in hectares after moving around the boundary of your plantation. GPS machines are still rare and thus the charges for their use may be high. They are recommended for big areas only. The district survey departments or private surveyors near to you can be contracted to demarcate your land. 3.2 What is the right tree species to plant on my area? You can decide on which tree species to plant on your area by carrying out species site matching: this is the procedure undertaken to determine the most suitable tree species to be planted on a particular area. It is important that you ONLY plant trees that are most suited to your area. This is because only the best suited trees planted on an area will grow fast and mature early. In other words, the selection of the right tree species to plant on your area directly determines the success or failure of your plantation! 3.3 What factors determine the type of tree species to be planted? In most cases, tree growth is affected by climate and soil conditions of the area. Other factors are the expected final products (targeted market), the nature of your land (hilly or flat), pest and disease threat. So, you can tell which tree species to plant on your area by looking at the following climate and soil conditions and comparing them with the various tree species growth requirements on table 1. a) Climate mainly rainfall and temperatures: • Rainfall amount and distribution. Basically areas that receive two long rainy seasons (at least 3 months) per year are suited for most tree species like Eucalyptus grandis, Pinus patula, Pinus caribaea, Maesopsis eminii, Cupressus lusitanica and Araucaria cunninghamii. Areas that have only one long rain season per year like in northern Uganda are most suited for growing Pinus caribaea. Generally, areas along the cattle corridor like Mbarara, Mubende, Kiboga, Nakasongola, Teso and Karamoja regions which are usually dry should at the time being focus on planting the reasonably drought resistant Pinus caribaea until other appropriate tree species are available. • Temperature. Pinus patula is strictly restricted to cooler temperatures especially those in Kabale. If planted else where it will fail. Cool areas like Kabale, Fort Portal, Paidah, Mbale and Kapchorwa are preferred by Eucalyptus grandis and Cupressus lusitanica as well. Community Tree Planting Guideline
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COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING GUIDELINE - SPGS

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